WHO’S COUNTING?
Candidate accuses County Clerk’s office of illegally opening ballots, playing favorites for employee running for mayor
TRENTON » One mayoral candidate believes the Mercer County Clerk’s Office is giving an employee a leg up over the competition in the Trenton mayoral race.
The office where Trenton mayoral candidate Walker Worthy works as deputy clerk recently opened three Trenton absentee ballots illegally that were then required to be invalidated. Absentee ballots are not supposed to be opened until the May 8 election, according to law.
“It’s almost like a straw poll,” Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who is running for city mayor, said Tuesday. “You can get a gauge of where you stand if you open up the absentee ballots. Is Mercer County Clerk Paula SollamiCovello going to reveal those results to all the candidates or just her deputy clerk who sits right there in the next room?”
Sollami-Covello admitted Tuesday that an employee made a “mistake” by opening the ballots.
“I have two seasonal employees that come in to help for the election,” the clerk said. “They’re hired specifically to help out because we get so many vote-by-mails. One of the seasonal employees opened the mail because it was delivered to my office.”
Sollami-Covello said the clerk’s office sent a letter to the three voters and asked them to immediately revote and send back a new ballot to the Mercer County Board of Elections, which is where the ballots are supposed to be sent.
“Vote-by-mail ballots when they are voted upon go to the Board of Elections,” the clerk said. “They were delivered to my office.”
After speaking with a staff member on Tuesday afternoon, Sollami-Covello called back to The Trentonian after the initial interview.
“She wanted to remind me the inner envelope was actually never opened, but the outer envelope was open,” Sollami-Covello claimed. “Even the outer envelope, once that’s open, we can’t even use it. That’s why those three were sent back. We didn’t even see who they voted for.”
The clerk said this mistake has “never happened before” in her office and attempted to distance Worthy from the situation.
“He has nothing to do with the absentee ballot process or vote-by-mail process,’ SollamiCovello said. “He’s on a different floor and he’s probably not aware of this issue.”
“It is terrible that one seasonal County employee violated the vote-by-mail process by opening three outer envelopes.” Worthy said via email. “As Deputy Clerk, I, along with Clerk Sollami-Covello conduct thorough trainings to avoid this exact type of situation. I am sympathetic to this employee, who I will not slander without more information, and who I am assuming was acting without any bad intentions, for making an error that was quickly identified and which the Clerk’s Office is taking measures to correct.”
“It is sad that Assemblyman Gusciora is making such obviously self-serving comments and making up some grand conspiracy where none exists,” Walker said of Gusciora’s comments. “I have never, and would never tolerate anyone opening ballots on behalf of any candidate. I will always support the rights of seasonal workers to earn a living wage without being vilified by elected officials who are supposed to represent them.”
Absentee ballots are not the only thing that is making Gusciora’s blood boil regarding the clerk. The longtime 15th district legislator is taking issue with Sollami-Covello throwing a fundraiser for Worthy on April 13 at the Trenton Social.
“This is something that you would see Putin doing,” Gusciora said. “I’m running for reelection and my wife is going to count the ballots. It’s just not appropriate.”
The assemblyman said Sollami-Covello’s involvement in the campaign is troublesome considering Trenton’s election is nonpartisan and Worthy has already recused himself from anything related to the election at his job.
“I just think that it’s an appearance of impropriety and the position of the clerk is to maintain the integrity of the election process,” Gusciora said. “If they are already opening absentee ballots, that just shows why there needs to be a separation.”
Sollami-Covello, whose position as clerk is elected, struck back at Gusciora.
“How is this different from when I’ve given Reed money when he ran for Assembly or any other candidate?” the clerk said. “He never complained when I gave him money. He never said anything before. I’m not required to recuse myself when I run and neither is Walker Worthy. Somebody has to run an election”
The clerk said she is hosting the fundraiser on her “own time.” “It’s my First Amendment right to support a candidate,” Sollami-Covello said. “The county clerk’s not barred in any way from participating in politics. When I’m in this office, I’m completely neutral and I’m above board and you will never catch me doing anything that is not completely following the law. There’s nothing inappropriate about it because it’s on my own time and it’s something I wanted to do.”